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History

In 1976 while working as an apprentice violin maker I constructed my first violin. Upon completion of the apprenticeship
I established Bellamy's Violin Shop in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach metropolitan area. During the next 25 years my primary
focus has been repair and restoration of bowed stringed instruments, however I have always had one new instrument under
construction.

Restorations have given me the opportunity to closely examine, document and play instruments made by some of the finest
Italian makers including Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri, Gagliano and Testore. As a professional luthier I have been given
access to stringed instrument collections in museums in the United States and Europe including the Smithsonian Institute,
Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and the Mittenwald Stringed Instrument Museum in Germany.

I have completed master violin and bow making courses at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute at the University of
New Hampshire studying with Karl Roy, former director of the Bavarian State School of Violin Making, Mittenwald, Germany and
William Salchow, master bow maker, New York, N.Y. And in 2009 I was a participant in The VSA-Oberlin Advanced Violin Acoustics Workshop.

My concentration has now turned to the making, restoration, and repair of instruments and bows using the knowledge gained over the past 30 years. My violins
and violas are modeled on the Stradivarius patterns and have traditional finishes. The instruments are made from aged spruce
and highly figured European maple. The blend of old world hand craftsmanship with modern acoustical principles result in
instruments that produce a powerful, free tone with an even balance and evenness over all strings. My instruments compare
very favorably with the instruments on which they are modeled.

Mary Ann Hughes - Principal cellist of Symphonicity (The Symphony Orchestra of Virginia Beach)&nbsp Lance Bellamy is
the only luthier that I will allow to work on my own instruments. He is extremely knowledgeable
and a superb craftsman. I confidently recommend him to all my students and colleagues.